By Ben Nagle in Montreal, Canada
Published: | Updated:
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Montreal is known for its Wall of Champions on the final bend, so named because of the wealth of winners at its mercy.
Max Verstappen took a small hit this morning and got away with it, while Alex Albon also suffered some damage. Expect a little more where that comes from when the real action starts in just 15 minutes.
Who owns my money? Well, as you asked…
I think Red Bull and Max Verstappen will have solved their FP1 and FP2 problems to get the Dutchman firing on all cylinders again. There have been a lot of questions about whether they are still as dominant as before, but my prediction is that he will pull a Grand Tour out of the bag and take the nick pole.
Behind him, I think Oscar Piastri will complete the front row, with Lewis Hamilton in P3. Norris P4 and Sergio Perez P5.
It’s worth taking a screenshot of this so you have it later.
The young Brit – only 19 – walked through the paddock this morning with a big old smile on his face. It’s almost like he’s had some good news.
The stands are filling up and we are only half an hour away from the start of the session here in Montreal.
The weather will be a mix of cloud and sunshine and it is expected to remain dry throughout. The excitement really builds.
So after Mail Sport relayed the news of Bearman to Haas, there is one more confirmed place on the 2025 grid, with Yuki Tsunoda remaining at RB.
There are still some question marks over who will be next to him now that current teammate Daniel Ricciardo is out of contract at the end of 2024. Liam Lawson still appears to be an option.
They were one of the last teams to confirm their 2024 lineup, so don’t expect it to be concluded anytime soon.
As for Bearman’s partner at Haas, that has also yet to be decided. Nico Hulkenberg is going permanently to Sauber (soon to Audi!), and there are questions about whether they will leave Kevin Magnussen in a new direction. Some options: Bottas, Zhou, Ocon
We heard whispers in the paddock this afternoon and now it’s official: Yuki Tsunoda will be staying with Red Bull’s sister team, Visa Cash App RB, in 2025.
Here’s how they were all shaking at the end of FP3…
Well, that’s the million dollar question. But it looks like it will be a lot closer than it was a few months ago.
Much to the excitement of the majority of F1 fans, Red Bull’s dominance appears to be waning somewhat, and there are some question marks over how they will perform in Montreal this afternoon, and in tomorrow’s race.
In FP3 – which ended about an hour ago – Lewis Hamilton set a blisteringly fast lap to top the times chart, so we wait to see if that was an anomaly or a sign of things to come.
Elsewhere, McLaren is looking very fast again, Aston Martin is having a good weekend and Ferrari appears to be significantly behind the pace they expected. That said, the real work starts in qualifying, so we’ll see what happens.
As we prepare for qualifying (T-minus 50 minutes now), here’s a look at why this race is so beloved – and perhaps the best North America has to offer.
It’s been a crazy few days here in Montreal. The first day of racing yesterday was marred by thunderstorms, hail and heavy rain in the lead up to FP1, and then we had some bright sunshine this morning for FP3.
It has been raining very hard again for the past hour, but now the sun is shining again and it doesn’t look like there is any more in the forecast.
From a racing perspective it would have been nice to have had a wet session, but that looks unlikely!
Where better to start than with an exclusive story from my esteemed colleague Jonathan McEvoy, who this morning broke the news that young English sensation Oliver Bearman is joining Haas for the 2025 season.
He played a starring role earlier this season when he jumped into a Ferrari in Jeddah, and now he’s set for his first season in the sport.
For the full story, click below…
Hello and welcome to Mail Sport’s live blog for the Canadian Grand Prix qualifying session.
I’m Ben Nagle, and you’re live from the track in Montreal, where preparations are in full swing for the session, which starts in just under an hour.
